No Tornado Deaths in Oklahoma in 2018; First Time Since 2006

The National Weather Service says no one was killed in a tornado in Oklahoma in 2018, the first time that the state has not recorded a tornado-related death since 2006.

The Oklahoman reports that just 41 tornadoes were recorded in the state in 2018, down from the state’s average of 56 tornadoes per year.

Rick Smith, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Norman office, says the state’s relatively light tornado season likely played a major role in the lack of tornado deaths.

Prior to last year, the state had endured a deadly streak of severe weather that included devastating tornadoes in 2013. A May 20 tornado that struck Moore killed 25 people and a May 31 tornado and flash flooding that struck El Reno killed another 23 people.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Oklahoma